


Behind Red Eyes

by yikeslikenikes



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: A lot of safety precautions, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chae Hyungwon-centric, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Hunting, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Trying to survive, Waiting for a Cure, Zombie Minhyuk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 06:03:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21248627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikeslikenikes/pseuds/yikeslikenikes
Summary: And yet here Hyungwon was, carefully taking care of his now zombified boyfriend.





	Behind Red Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!

_ “You shouldn’t stay, Hyungwon. I can't...you can’t stay. There's no saving me, so save yourself.” _

Hyungwon jolts awake like he tends to do now and looks around for any signs of them. In the silence in the woods, he can't hear anything, so he lets himself relax against the tree he had slept under. 

“Morning,” he grumbles, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up faster. 

He doesn't get an answer, but he wasn't really expecting one from his companion. He stretches and turns to look. 

Minhyuk is right where he had left him last night, tied to a tree close by, muzzle on, red eyes burning holes into him. The same painful pang that Hyungwon feels every morning rings through him. He feels terrible for this even though it's the only way. 

“Did you sleep last night? I haven't seen you sleep since...well, you know, but I'm sure you still need to,” Hyungwon says as he gets up. 

Red eyes follow him. Follow every movement Hyungwon makes as he gathers up their few belongings and tosses them back into his bag before slinging it over his shoulder. Hyungwon can practically feel them on his skin, and they feel just as physical as the layer of dirt and grime Hyungwon plans on washing off as soon as they get to the river side again today. 

He walks over to Minhyuk then, and Minhyuk just watches him, always watches him. 

“Good morning,” Hyungwon says again with a smile. He reaches out and fixes Minhyuk's hair quickly, and Minhyuk doesn't react. He doesn't lunge at him. He doesn't pull away. He doesn't move at all. Just watches. 

Hyungwon has gotten better about keeping his emotions in now that this has become routine in the past few weeks. 

“How do you feel?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk opens and closes his mouth. 

“Huh….huh…” he huffs out. 

Hyungwon nods. “Hungry. I know. Maybe we can find something we can both eat soon. Maybe a rabbit? Or a bird?”

Minhyuk shuts his mouth again. Goes back to watching. Hyungwon sighs and walks around to untie him. 

“You’ll stay still, right? You won't run away?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk just stares back, and Hyungwon wishes he knew what was going on in his head. That he could give him at least the ability to speak back. He wonders if he feels trapped inside his own body, or if he’s not even there anymore. 

But he can't think about that. Not when he has to hope that the Minhyuk he knows and loves is still there somewhere behind the red eyes and silence.

Hyungwon carefully unties Minhyuk from the tree, and Minhyuk doesn't move. He stays completely still like he’s listening to him. Hyungwon sighs as he walks back around to where Minhyuk is sitting on the ground. 

And this is when Hyungwon has hope. Because if his Minhyuk wasn't in there somewhere, he'd be dead. It wouldn't take much at all for Minhyuk to rip his muzzle off and overpower him and  _ eat.  _

But he doesn't do that. He just sits and watches until Hyungwon finishes tying his hands behind his back, the other end of the rope looped around Hyungwon's wrist to connect them. 

A mindless zombie wouldn't do that. A mindless zombie wouldn't let anyone do anything to them. And yet here Hyungwon was, carefully taking care of his now zombified boyfriend. 

“Come on. I’ll find us food,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk blinks at him before moving to get up, and Hyungwon helps him, and he is so very aware of how close his mouth is to him, but he tries not to show it. Part of him thinks the zombies are pulled in by fear, and if Hyungwon doesn’t fear Minhyuk, then maybe he won't have a reason to try to come after him. 

Hyungwon fills a pouch with a few rocks because all he has is a big branch and a slingshot, but it's kept them alive so far.

Well, mostly alive.

“Huh…” Minhyuk says. Or tries to say. Or breathes. Hyungwon never knows, but he knows what he means.

“I know. Soon, I promise.”

The tricky part with trying to feed his zombie boyfriend is that he can't kill whatever creature he intends to feed to him. He has to just catch it and hope for the best. He had tried even the freshest kills, but Minhyuk wouldn't budge toward them.

He wants something alive. Something still wriggling and pumping blood. 

Hyungwon is just glad that it doesn't have to be human. 

They walk down the woods together, Hyungwon always making Minhyuk walk in front of him, so he can keep an eye on him, and he wishes he didn't feel guilty for not trusting him. Like some strange leftover voice from before, asking him why he was so terrified of his boyfriend when he never did anything to him. 

When he hears birds chirping, he stops and looks up, and he feels the rope around his wrist tug as Minhyuk tries to keep walking. He looks back down, and Minhyuk is staring at him again, and for a moment, Hyungwon wonders if this is the time that Minhyuk is too hungry to wait. 

But Minhyuk just stands there as Hyungwon opens his little pouch of rocks and pulls his slingshot out of his pocket, and Hyungwon hopes he isn't just waiting for him to get distracted. He looks around at the trees above them until he thinks he knows where the chirping is coming from, and then he shoots a rock up there as hard as he can. 

He hears a soft little thud, and then something falls to the ground, and it’s a bird, still flapping around, and he decides that should be Minhyuk's. 

“Come here,” Hyungwon says, tugging Minhyuk closer with the rope, and Minhyuk hurries over, red eyes trained on the poor hurt bird on the ground. 

“I hope this is enough for a while,” Hyungwon says as he carefully pulls the muzzle off of Minhyuk’s face. 

Hyungwon hurries back away from him then, grabbing onto the branch he carries on his back pack and pulling it out just in case, but Minhyuk isn't paying him any attention. Hyungwon doesn't watch as Minhyuk drops to his knees and lunges forward, but he can hear everything. The little strange terrified chirp. The sound of bones crunching. The utterly inhuman snarls. The sound of eating and huffing and panting because Minhyuk is eating as fast as he can. 

Hyungwon doesn't look until it goes quiet. When he does, Minhyuk is staring up at him, blood smeared all around his mouth, and his eyes are crimson, and he almost looks like he’s smiling, but it's hollow, and Hyungwon feels sick. 

He has to clean him up. He feels like Minhyuk knows he has to clean him up. And if he does, this could just be a trick. A way to get him close enough without the muzzle protecting him. 

Hyungwon grips into his branch and holds it out between them as he walks closer, muzzle tucked under his arm.

“Eat well?” he asks. 

Minhyuk licks his lips and stares at him. 

“Good. I'm glad. I'm just going to wipe your mouth, okay? You won't bite me, right?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk just stares back. 

Hyungwon takes a shaky breath and grabs onto Minhyuk's hair to hold his head still as he squats down and takes the shirt Minhyuk is wearing and brings it up to his mouth. 

Minhyuk goes incredibly still. He just lets Hyungwon wipe at him, blinking a bit at how urgent it is, but all Hyungwon can think about is how easy it'd be for Minhyuk to chomp down on his finger and ruin him. 

“There,” Hyungwon says when he thinks his mouth is clean enough. Before Minhyuk can do anything, he slips the muzzle back over his face. 

For a second, Hyungwon thinks something sad crosses Minhyuk's eyes, but a second later, they’re unfeeling again. Just staring and watching. 

“Okay. Time to find some food for me. Come on,” Hyungwon says, helping Minhyuk up to his feet again. 

When Minhyuk doesn't move and just stares at him, Hyungwon laughs a bit, trying to shake off the nerves. 

It's strange to miss someone who is right there in front of him. And Hyungwon misses a lot of things from before, but he could deal with it because he had Minhyuk. 

Now, he only barely has Minhyuk. 

He has him there, physically. But not everything else. 

He doesn't get the soft kisses under the moonlight. He doesn't get the protective arm around him. He doesn't have the raucous laughter that filled Hyungwon up with bubbles because even when things were terrible, Minhyuk could find something to be happy about. 

It had only been a few weeks if Hyungwon's count was correct, but it’s been hard. 

At least the zombies have seemed to move outwards, past the tight circle they kept around the city. It was supposed to be safe there. It had been where they were heading before it happened. 

Now they were both stuck in a limbo. Hyungwon could enter the city, but that would mean leaving Minhyuk behind. It might even mean having to see Minhyuk be put down as they approached the gates. 

And Hyungwon had been strong, but he wasn't strong enough for that. He doesn't think he could ever be strong enough for that. 

They wandered instead, waiting for a cure that might never come. 

“Minhyuk, come on,” Hyungwon tries again, tugging on the rope. He finally moves again, turning away from Hyungwon and walking away, and Hyungwon lets out a shaky breath. 

Another feeding session done successfully. Another morning done. Another hour where Hyungwon can convince himself that Minhyuk might come back to him one day. 

_ “Was that all of them?”  _

_ “I think so.” _

_ Hyungwon sighs and reclines against the wall of the abandoned grocery store they were in, dropping his now broken bat to the ground. _

_ “Minhyuk?” Hyungwon calls before he looks around. There's a moment of hesitation. Of silence. Hyungwon feels panic rush through him as he stands up straight again, looking around for him.  _

_ “Min?” He calls again.  _

_ “Uh...over here,” Minhyuk calls.  _

_ Hyungwon sighs and starts walking toward the voice, a few aisles down from him.  _

_ “Don't scare me like that,” Hyungwon says. Then he turns the corner.  _

_ Minhyuk is on the ground, cradling his right arm to his body. He looks up at Hyungwon, and his eyes are swimming, but he smiles anyway.  _

_ Hyungwon’s heart drops. All the way from his chest to beneath the tile floor. _

_ “Min?”  _

_ Minhyuk sniffs and slowly reveals his arm. There’s a nasty bite on his forearm, and Hyungwon knows what that means, but he can't believe it. He can't. They were so close. Only five more miles left until they got to the city and now… _

_ And now.  _

_ “Hey did you find…oh,” someone says, but Hyungwon doesn't turn to look. These aren't his friends anyway. They were just a group of people all heading to the same place. Hyungwon barely even knew their names.  _

_ “Yeah. Oh,” Minhyuk says. _

_ “You’re…” _

_ “Yeah. I know.” _

_ Someone claps their hand on Hyungwon's shoulder. He figures it's supposed to be an apology, but what could there possibly be to apologize for? Minhyuk is fine. He's always been fine. He's the strong one. Has always been the strong one. He has to be fine.  _

_ “I'm sorry, but you know how it is. We’ll give you until sundown. We don't know how long it takes, but that should be okay.” _

_ Minhyuk looks pale and wrong, but he nods like he understands. Hyungwon is glad he does because he certainly doesn't. He doesn't understand anything that's happening right now. Not the words that are being said or their implications or the bite on Minhyuk's arm that can't be there.  _

_ “Hey. Come here,” Minhyuk says, and he's reaching his unbitten arm towards him, and Hyungwon goes to him because he's never refused him when he wants to just be closer. He sits down on the ground next to Minhyuk and takes his left hand in both of his and kisses it, and he realizes then that he's crying. That he's been crying. _

_ “Baby, you have to go with them, okay?” Minhyuk says.  _

_ “Go with who?” _

_ Minhyuk squeezes his hand. “Don't act like that. You know what I'm talking about. You have to go with them.” _

_ Hyungwon shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you behind.” _

_ It's awful. Awful to see how Minhyuk smiles a bit at that, but his eyes fill up more.  _

_ “I know you don't want to, baby, but--” _

_ “I'm not leaving you,” Hyungwon says again.  _

_ Minhyuk licks his lips. “It won't be me you're leaving,” he says softly.  _

_ Hyungwon sobs, and he leans his head against Minhyuk's shoulder. He holds his hand as tight as he can between his, and he knows it can't be comfortable, but Minhyuk doesn't complain.  _

_ “Listen, Hyungwon. Listen to me,” Minhyuk says, and Hyungwon shakes his head because nothing Minhyuk could say would make any of this okay.  _

_ “I don't want you in here when they come, Hyungwon.” _

_ “No! Don't...don't say that, you're going to be fine,” Hyungwon cries out. _

_ “Hyungwon…” _

_ “You're going to be fine! They...they're working on a cure. They said so on the radio. And it'll be ready soon, and--” _

_ “It's not going to be ready before it happens, baby.” _

_ Hyungwon looks at Minhyuk, and he can't believe that he's already given up so easily.  _

_ “How...how am I supposed to do this without you?” Hyungwon asks softly, and his voice breaks, but he doesn't care.  _

_ Minhyuk’s face falls, and he pulls Hyungwon's hands up to his cheek and presses against them.  _

_ “You’re so strong, Hyungwon. You'll be fine. You'll walk the five miles up the road to the city, and they’ll take you in, and they’ll take care of you. You'll be safe,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ “I'm not walking anywhere without you,” Hyungwon says.  _

_ “Stop being so stubborn. You can have a good life. I want you to have a good life.” _

_ “It won't be without you.” _

_ Minhyuk shuts his eyes, and tears stream down his face, and Hyungwon feels a pain throb through him that he's never felt before. He wouldn't wish it on anyone. This sickening crackling happening somewhere inside his body. Pieces of him breaking apart and shattering without any physical proof of the torture he's going through. _

_ “I love you, Hyungwon. I will always love you. That's why I want you to leave before they come at sundown. I don't want you to see that.” _

_ Hyungwon sets his jaw. He won't let anyone come at sundown. He can't. He can't let them come and take Minhyuk away from him.  _

_ All Hyungwon can think about is that cure, and how he'd feel if he let them come, and the cure is ready tomorrow. How he'd never forgive himself. How he couldn't live with that guilt.  _

_ He knows they can't kiss because saliva can spread it, but he leans in and kisses Minhyuk’s cheek.  _

_ He’ll be okay. He has to be okay. _

Hyungwon munches on the fish he caught at the river. He has managed to wash the clothes he was wearing and change into his new ones, and he even managed to clean Minhyuk up a bit. 

Hyungwon is grateful that the ropes haven't irritated where he got bitten, and he’s grateful that it actually healed instead of festering, but it still looks horrible. Teeth marks sunk into his skin with black and red spindling away from it. The mark of the virus, or sickness, or whatever it is that had turned so much of humanity into the red-eyed cannibals that they all ran from. 

Minhyuk is tied to a tree next to the stream in front of Hyungwon, his hands tied together in front of him before the rope wraps around the thin trunk. 

It gives him a bit more movement than when Hyungwon ties him down for the night, but Minhyuk does the same thing. 

Sits on the ground and stares at Hyungwon as he cooks and eats and moves. 

“After I finish this, I'll try to catch another one for you,” Hyungwon says. He doesn't know why he talks so much to Minhyuk. It doesn't seem like he understands him at all, or at least, he doesn't react, but it helps Hyungwon feel more grounded. More normal. 

Minhyuk watches him, and Hyungwon doesn't know why he feels disappointed, but he does. 

“I wish we still had a working radio,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk shifts a bit, tugging on his bonds before settling back to stillness. Hyungwon raises a brow, wondering if that's a reaction to him or not. 

Hyungwon finishes his fish and tosses the bones away before rolling up his sleeves and pant legs and heading back down to the river. 

He has never been a fisher, but he's gotten better at catching them with his hands. It takes a while, and a lot of failures before he finally snatches one up and holds it tight between his fingers, hurrying over to Minhyuk, so it's still alive when he drops it into Minhyuk's bound hands and pulls his muzzle off. 

Minhyuk bites into the fish hungrily, and Hyungwon looks away, glad that at least the fish is silent as it gets torn into even if Minhyuk isn't silent at all. There's snarling again, and the crack of tiny little bones against teeth, and Hyungwon doesn't know what the virus does to people to make them able to eat and digest bones and scales and all the other things Hyungwon would have to throw away, but he's glad that at least when Minhyuk finishes eating, there is nothing to clean up. 

Minhyuk huffs again, and Hyungwon looks back down at him. Minhyuk is looking up at him, and it's times like this that Hyungwon wonders if he's coming back to himself. He can see emotions behind his eyes, but he doesn't know what they are. 

“Did you eat well?” Hyungwon asks softly. He moves to put the muzzle on Minhyuk again, but Minhyuk’s bound hands grab onto his arm. 

Hyungwon yells, yanking his hand out of Minhyuk's grip and stumbling back and tripping, falling into a seated position, but he still scoots further away. 

Minhyuk’s hands drop slowly in front of him again, and he stares at Hyungwon, and Hyungwon feels bile come up in his throat.

He had never acted afraid of Minhyuk before. Not like that. 

“Huh…” Minhyuk breathes. 

“You just ate. You're still hungry?” Hyungwon asks, and he feels like a fool every time he does, but he can't help it. 

Minhyuk’s face goes blank, and he goes still, and his hands clasp together. 

Hyungwon doesn't know what this is, but he takes the opportunity to grab the muzzle, get up, and secure it over Minhyuk’s face again. 

This time, Minhyuk doesn't move. 

Hyungwon sighs out and fixes Minhyuk's hair again.

“I'm sorry. You startled me,” he says. 

Minhyuk blinks and looks up at him. It almost feels like he's leaning into Hyungwon's touch, but Hyungwon must be imagining things. 

They end up making camp in that spot, and Hyungwon leaves Minhyuk tied the way he is, moving to a tree that is out of his reach. 

Hyungwon thinks they might stay here a few days since the fish are plenty, and it's an easy way to feed both of them. 

He bundles up in the sleeping bag they have and watches Minhyuk stare at him until he falls asleep. 

_ Hyungwon presses up against Minhyuk in their shared sleeping bag, glad to have a way to stay warm. _

_ “We don't have a watch tonight, so get some rest,” Minhyuk says. He kisses Hyungwon's forehead, and Hyungwon smiles.  _

_ “I’m not used to going to bed early anymore,” Hyungwon says.  _

_ Minhyuk chuckles a bit and wraps his arms around him.  _

_ “Honestly, I'm not used to sleeping for longer than an hour at a time anymore,” he says.  _

_ Hyungwon sighs and tries to get comfortable again, intertwining their legs together. The virus had taken a great many things from Hyungwon, but he was annoyed that it also took away his ability to sleep on Minhyuk's chest, his limbs too long in the sleeping bag no matter how he tried to position himself.  _

_ Minhyuk watches him for a moment, grin growing on his face. _

_ “Maybe we should break the other sleeping bag out? That way you can lay however you want,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ Hyungwon huffs and looks at him.  _

_ “I'd rather be held though,” Hyungwon says.  _

_ Minhyuk smiles and reaches up to fix Hyungwon’s hair.  _

_ “Soon, we’ll have a normal bed together again, and we won't have to fight the sleeping bag to get comfortable.” _

_ Hyungwon smiles a bit and settles for laying on his side facing Minhyuk.  _

_ “You always get so optimistic.” _

_ “We have to be. And we really are close. Only a few more days of walking, and we’re there,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ Hyungwon hums and closes his eyes, Minhyuk’s hand still in his hair.  _

_ “Do you really think we’ll get a bed together?” _

_ “They better. I'll fight everyone if they try to separate us.” _

_ Hyungwon laughs and pulls Minhyuk closer to him. He opens his eyes and looks at him, and Minhyuk is smiling at him. _

_ “I love you,” Hyungwon says softly.  _

_ “I love you, too.” _

_ Minhyuk pulls his head closer, and Hyungwon kisses him, squeezing him as close as he can.  _

_ At least the virus hadn't taken this away. They could still hold each other and kiss each other and be together. Their dreams had changed, sure, but they still had each other. They were still in each other's dreams.  _

_ “I can't wait to have our own room again,” Minhyuk whispers.  _

_ Hyungwon giggles a bit and kisses his cheek. “Just a few more days,” he says.  _

_ Minhyuk hums and kisses Hyungwon's cheek and jaw.  _

_ “I love you so much,” Minhyuk whispers.  _

_ And Hyungwon feels so warm and giddy he can almost forget that it's the end of the world.  _

Hyungwon wakes up because he hears something, though he doesn't register what. 

It's early in the morning, the light hazy and foggy, but Hyungwon can still make out Minhyuk. His red eyes almost glow, and he’s pulling his binds tight as he fights against it to try to walk forward. He realizes he woke up because Minhyuk is snarling. 

Hyungwon’s heart drops because Minhyuk isn't trying to get to him. There's something else that he's trying to go after. 

He stops and looks toward where Minhyuk is trying to get to, but he doesn't see anything. He internally curses as he gets up and tries to get everything into his bag as quickly as possible before picking up his big branch and walking toward Minhyuk. 

“Min, calm down,” he whispers. 

Minhyuk snarls again, but it isn't at Hyungwon. At least Hyungwon doesn't think it is. 

“Do you hear it? It’s gotta be close by,” a voice echoes through the woods. 

Hyungwon freezes. He hasn't seen anyone other than Minhyuk in weeks. All he can think about is how humans instantly try to kill every zombie they see. 

“Fuck,” he whispers. There's no time for being afraid now. He grabs Minhyuk around the waist and tugs him back towards the tree. Minhyuk lets him, not resisting against him, and Hyungwon silently thanks whatever God there might be that Minhyuk isn't fighting him. 

He reaches up and starts trying to undo the knot that's keeping Minhyuk attached to the tree, but Minhyuk has pulled it so tight that it's hard.

“It stopped making noise. That's weird,” the same voice says. 

Hyungwon feels himself start to panic as he finally gets the knot loose, his arm still around Minhyuk to make sure he doesn't run off after the voices. 

Hyungwon wraps the rope around his hand and runs over to grab his bag, trying to hold onto his stick still, and then it's too late. 

He hears a gun cock, and Minhyuk snarl again, and he doesn't care anymore. 

He blindly runs back to Minhyuk and pushes him behind him, and shuts his eyes. 

A shot never comes. It never rings out through the forest. 

“What the hell?” 

Hyungwon is shaking as he looks up to see three men staring at him with wide eyes, one of them aiming a gun right at him. 

Minhyuk snarls again, but he stays where he is behind Hyungwon, and Hyungwon’s brain is moving too fast and too slow to process anything at all. 

“You’re...human,” one of them says. 

Hyungwon brain kicks in long enough to say one thing.

“Don’t hurt him. Please, don't hurt him.” 

He feels Minhyuk come up behind him, and Hyungwon is terrified a bit, but he can't show it. He can't give them a reason to hurt him. But he can feel Minhyuk’s head bump against him, and if it wasn't for the muzzle, Hyungwon doesn't know if he'd be dead right now or not. 

“Don't...hurt him?” The one with the gun asks. 

“He’s...he’s safe. I watch him. He's never killed anyone. Please just leave him alone,” Hyungwon says. 

The man with the gun glances over to the one that had spoken earlier. They nod at each other, and Hyungwon braces, but then he puts the gun down.

“Alright. We won't do anything to him.”

Hyungwon sighs, but he barely believes it. He reaches back and grabs onto Minhyuk's hands. 

“We’ll leave then,” Hyungwon says. 

“No, wait.”

Hyungwon freezes, and Minhyuk growls quietly as he grabs onto Hyungwon's wrist. Hyungwon swallows down the fear that's rising in him.

“My name is Changkyun,” says the one that's been talking the most. 

“Hyungwon.”

“I'm Hyunwoo. This is Kihyun,” the one with the gun says. 

“And your...pet?” Kihyun asks.

Hyungwon frowns. “He’s not a  _ pet _ .”

Minhyuk tugs on his arm again, and Hyungwon turns to look at him. 

“Huh,” Minhyuk says, and Hyungwon really doesn't think this is the best time for him to be saying he's hungry. 

“You keep him on a leash and muzzled. How is that not a pet?” Kihyun asks. 

Hyungwon turns back to him and frowns. 

“He’s not a pet,” he says again because he knows if he starts explaining, it'll sound strange. 

“What's his name?” Changkyun asks. 

Hyungwon glances over at his bag on the ground before looking back up at him. 

“Why should I tell you?” He asks.

“You don't have to. It's just strange. You're so close to the city, but you're not heading there. Is it because of him?” Changkyun asks, nodding toward Minhyuk. 

Hyungwon narrows his eyes at them. 

“Why does it matter to you?”

Changkyun smiles a bit. “I can see why you're concerned. I wouldn't be trusting of strangers either if I was in your position.”

Hyungwon wonders for a moment, only a moment, what would happen if he let Minhyuk go at them. Would Minhyuk win that fight?

Minhyuk snarls again, and Hyungwon glances at him to see him shifting back and forth behind him. It's the most uncomfortable he’s seen him since the change finished. 

“It seems he doesn't like us,” Hyunwoo says with a little chuckle.

Hyungwon looks at them again. “Look, you guys came to kill a zombie. That's not going to happen. So shouldn't you be on your way?”

“We didn't come to kill a zombie. We came to catch one,” Kihyun says. 

Something prickles in the back of Hyungwon's mind. 

“Catch one?”

“We’re doctors working on the cure,” Changkyun says.

Hyungwon’s heart thuds loud, but he can’t let himself believe that. It'd be too easy. Too good when the world obviously never wanted to be good to them. 

“I’m sorry, I don't...believe you,” Hyungwon says.

Kihyun nods and reaches into his pocket, and Minhyuk snarls again, this time moving around Hyungwon to get at him, but Hyungwon tugs at the rope to keep him back. 

The three of them step back, eyes on Minhyuk, even though he doesn't get very far.

“Was he...trying to protect you?” Hyunwoo asks. 

Hyungwon licks his lips and tugs on the rope again until Minhyuk is at his side again. 

“I don't know. He's never done that before,” he admits. 

“Has he ever tried to attack you?” Changkyun asks. 

Hyungwon shakes his head. “I've had him in a muzzle and tied up since the beginning.”

“But you’ve...fed him? How long has he been like this?” Hyunwoo asks. 

Hyungwon hates all these questions and tugs at the rope again as Kihyun finally pulls out his ID. He hesitates for a moment.

“Will he attack me if I go show this to you?” Kihyun asks. 

Minhyuk snarls and lunges toward him again, and Hyungwon groans as he tugs him back. 

“Minhyuk, please just sit down,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk looks at him, red eyes still. They stare at each other for a moment before Minhyuk plops down on the ground in front of him. Hyungwon’s jaw drops a bit. 

“Pretty well-trained for a not-pet,” Kihyun grumbles. He circles around them, eyes always on Minhyuk before he hands Hyungwon his ID. 

It seems legitimate, and Hyungwon doesn't know how he would even acquire a fake one in these circumstances. There's even one for the hospital that Hyungwon knows is inside the city. He hands it back to Kihyun and watches him as he walks back toward Hyunwoo and Changkyun. 

He notices that Minhyuk watches him too. Red eyes trained and deadly. Like a guard dog. 

Hyungwon feels sick at the thought. He had never thought of Minhyuk as a pet, but now that Kihyun had said it, it clung to his ribs. 

Is that the life Minhyuk would want? Being kept on a leash and muzzle like an unruly dog? God, Hyungwon even petted him and groomed him. 

“Do you not have a radio?” Hyunwoo asks. 

Hyungwon blinks up at him, trying to shake off the feeling of disgust growing as bile on his throat. 

“No. Ours got ruined a while back.”

“Well, our tests for the cure have been coming up positive. It's still experimental, but we’re bringing people back,” Changkyun says. 

A thud again. Like his heart only beat in times like this and felt strange otherwise.

“We’re assuming you’re keeping him around because you want him cured,” Kihyun says. 

“I do,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk tugs on the rope and huffs again. The same little “huh, huh” he's always muttered. 

“Is he trying to speak?” Kihyun asks.

“He's just telling me he's hungry,” Hyungwon explains. 

“If he doesn't kill, what does he eat?” Hyunwoo asks. 

“Fish. Birds. Whatever I can catch,” Hyungwon says. 

Their faces look shocked at this, and Hyungwon is worried that they'll try to take Minhyuk away from him. To experiment on him. 

“Obviously, you can stay out here if you want. But if you come with us, we’ll take you into the city. We can try to treat Minhyuk,” Changkyun says. 

Minhyuk pulls on the rope again, and Hyungwon looks down at him. 

“He...he needs to eat,” Hyungwon says. 

“We have plenty of chicken--”

“It has to be alive,” Hyungwon says. 

Hyunwoo nods. “That can be arranged.”

“And you can't...you can't separate us,” Hyungwon says. 

Changkyun makes a face. 

“You can't. I have...I have to know he's okay,” Hyungwon says. 

“Hyungwon, it's not…a pretty process,” Changkyun says. 

“I sat there and watched him turn into this. It can't be worse than that,” Hyungwon says softly. 

_ Sunset comes, and Minhyuk keeps waiting for them to show up, but they don’t. He doesn't know that Hyungwon sent them on ahead without them, but he figures it out quickly.  _

_ “Why?” Minhyuk asks.  _

_ Hyungwon looks at him and shakes his head.  _

_ “You know what sucks? I can't even kiss you goodbye properly,” Hyungwon says.  _

_ “Hyungwon, why aren't they coming?” _

_ Hyungwon takes a deep breath. “They left, Min.” _

_ Minhyuk stares at him. He’s sweating now, hair soaked through with it like he has a terrible fever. The bite on his arm radiates heat, and Hyungwon doesn't have to touch it to feel it. He still looks too pale. _

_ But his eyes are still beautiful brown, so Hyungwon clings to that.  _

_ “You can catch up to them if you leave now,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ “I'm not leaving you,” Hyungwon says again.  _

_ Minhyuk sobs, and that hurts more than anything else.  _

_ “Fuck, do you think I'm not hurting over this? Do you think I don't care?” _

_ “No, Minhyuk, I know--” _

_ “Then  _ go _ , please, Hyungwon, don't make me beg. You need to make it because if not, then all of this was for nothing.” _

_ “What if it was me?” Hyungwon asks softly.  _

_ Minhyuk’s jaw sets, and he looks away. He shivers, and Hyungwon wraps his arms around him in an attempt to warm him up.  _

_ “It’s not you,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ “But if it was, do you think you could leave? Because if you can look me in the eyes right now and tell me that you could let them come in here and kill me, I'll leave right now.” _

_ Hyungwon knows it’s a bad bluff. That the only way he could leave would be kicking and screaming, and there's no one here to drag him away.  _

_ But Minhyuk looks at him, and his eyes are tearing up, and Hyungwon knows he won't be called out on his bluff.  _

_ “I’ll hurt you. I’ll try to hurt you if you don't go,” Minhyuk whispers.  _

_ Hyungwon shakes his head and holds Minhyuk's face. “It'll be okay. You taught me how to defend myself, remember?” _

_ Minhyuk blinks and tears stream down his face. Hyungwon thought he had cried enough tears, but apparently he hasn't. Not now that Minhyuk is crying too.  _

_ “You’re being so stupid,” Minhyuk says, and then he shivers again.  _

_ Hyungwon laughs a bit through the sobs threatening to bubble up.  _

_ “I know. You always made me so stupid.” _

_ Minhyuk smiles a bit and rubs at his eyes.  _

_ “How long are you going to stay?” Minhyuk asks.  _

_ “As long as it takes.” _

_ Minhyuk sniffs and nods. “You have to listen to me, though. If you plan on staying, you have to listen if I tell you to get away from me.” _

_ “Okay. I will.” _

_ “Promise me. Promise me that you'll leave when I'm gone,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ Hyungwon stares at him, already feeling nauseous again at the idea of leaving him, but Minhyuk wants a promise, and he can't say no.  _

_ “Okay. I promise,” Hyungwon says.  _

_ “Say it. Say what you're promising,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ Hyungwon swallows. “I promise I'll leave when you’re gone.” _

_ Minhyuk nods, approving. His body trembles now, and it's not just a few shivers here and there. Hyungwon wonders if it’s the virus or his body fighting the virus.  _

_ “I love you,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ “I love you too.” _

_ “I feel like I have to say it enough times to make up for it. For the time I won't be able to.” _

_ Hyungwon’s throat hitches again, and he stares up at the light to try to will it away.  _

_ “Sorry. I don't want to make you so sad,” Minhyuk says softly.  _

_ “It's okay. Say whatever you want,” Hyungwon says.  _

_ “I just feel so tired. Everything aches.” _

_ Hyungwon nods, trying to understand something he never could. That he never should.  _

_ “I wish that if I could fight it off for long enough, it'd just go away. Like a cold,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ “Maybe you can,” Hyungwon says softly. _

_ Minhyuk chuckles a bit, but it's humorless. Empty. Grey when his laughter was usually a myriad of colors. It severs any aimless hope Hyungwon had of this all being a dream. Of it not really happening. Of it not being possible.  _

_ It was possible, and it was happening, and it was awful. So terribly awful.  _

_ “I love you,” Hyungwon says because he knows Minhyuk deserves to hear it.  _

_ “I love you too. So much, baby.” _

_ Minhyuk groans and writhes, and Hyungwon holds him tight in his arms, and he cries because it’s all he can do.  _

The city is nicer than Hyungwon had imagined, but emptier than he had imagined. The guards at the gate scowl at Minhyuk, and Hyungwon is thankful that Minhyuk doesn't snarl at them as Changkyun talks to them about letting them in. 

While he talks, Hyungwon keeps waiting to be turned away, but to his surprise they let them in.

He holds tight to Minhyuk’s bound together wrists and holds his breath as he guides him through the gate. 

He doesn't breathe again until they are well out of earshot of the guards. 

“We can house you in the hospital. We’ll have to make some arrangements, but it’s comfortable. You’ll have a bed,” Kihyun says. 

“And a shower,” Changkyun adds. 

“Alright, I get the hint,” Hyungwon says. 

“To be fair, you're not nearly as bad as some of the people that have passed under that gate. It seems that you actually washed yourself regularly. Someone people hadn't washed at all,” Hyunwoo says. 

Hyungwon scrunches his nose. “Gross.”

“You even kept Minhyuk clean. Usually the ones we bring in are caked in blood,” Kihyun says. 

Hyungwon looks at Minhyuk. He's seemed to calm down now. No more snarling or lunging toward anyone. He just stares ahead or stares at Hyungwon, which is what Hyungwon is used to. 

“I couldn't let him be all dirty. He would have hated that,” Hyungwon says. 

“How did you two know each other before the virus broke out?” Changkyun asks. 

Hyungwon smiles a bit to himself. “We’ve been together for seven years.”

They go quiet at that. Hyungwon understands, though. They think it's strange of him to keep his boyfriend as a zombified version of himself. 

“How long has he been like this?” Kihyun asks. 

“A few weeks. We were almost here when it happened.”

“Ah. So he's...your boyfriend?” Hyunwoo asks. 

“He was,” Hyungwon says carefully. He wouldn't call whatever this was a relationship. Especially not compared to how it was. 

Changkyun nods like he understands, but he couldn't possibly. They stay quiet as they make their way into the hospital in the center of town. Hyungwon feels himself sag at the feeling of air conditioning. He hasn't felt that since the grid went off months ago. 

They lead them to an elevator that takes them to the top floor. It’s quiet up there, so quiet that it's eerie, and it's only made worse when Minhyuk growls like something is wrong. 

“We don't keep anyone else up here because we don't have any long-term patients right now,” Changkyun explains. 

“Right,” Hyungwon says. 

Changkyun opens a door to a small room, but Hyungwon could cry when he sees the full bed in the middle of it and the bathroom in the corner. 

“You could tie Minhyuk off here on this railing,” Hyunwoo suggests, and Hyungwon nods, still marveling at the room he's been given. 

“For now, get showered before we bring dinner up. I think there are some clothes in the cabinets, but if not, there's a hospital gown you can wear while we find you some,” Changkyun says. 

“And for Minhyuk,” Hyungwon says, looking back at Changkyun. 

“Right. We’ll be back in about an hour,” Changkyun says.

“Okay. Thank you,” Hyungwon says. 

Changkyun smiles again, and it's kind as he bows out of the room. Hyunwoo and Kihyun follow after him, and then Hyungwon is left alone with Minhyuk. 

“See? I told you the cure would come,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk stares at him, but Hyungwon takes it as a win. He pulls Minhyuk to the bathroom and carefully ties him to the shower rod. 

“Huh, huh, huh,” Minhyuk grumbles. 

“There'll be food soon,” Hyungwon says. He carefully undresses himself before looking over Minhyuk's clothes. They're tattered and messy, and there's no saving them, so Hyungwon just rips through them. They fall apart like dust in his hands. 

Hyungwon turns on the shower and moans when he finds out that there's still hot water somewhere in the world. He shampoos three times and then scrubs at his body twice before he feels fully clean. Once he’s done, he focuses on washing Minhyuk up, and he's glad that Minhyuk stays still during like he always does. He's careful not to get any shampoo in his eyes, and he makes sure he's completely dry after. 

He unties Minhyuk, and Minhyuk even stay still as Hyungwon turns his back to him to grab a hospital gown to put on Minhyuk. Once he has gotten them both dressed again, he ties Minhyuk to the railing and falls back onto the bed, sighing. 

“We have a bed, Minhyuk. And soon maybe we’ll be able to sleep together on it like we said we would,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk stares up at him from his seat on the floor, and guilt gnaws away at Hyungwon. He swallows and moves off the bed to sit on the ground in front of Minhyuk. 

“It's not really fair if I can and you can't, is it?” Hyungwon says softly. He reaches out and fixes Minhyuk's hair, and Minhyuk’s red eyes watch him. 

_ Hyungwon hates that Minhyuk asked him to do this, but he promised he'd listen. He sits across the grocery aisle, staring as Minhyuk pants and writhes, his arms tied to one of the shelves with rope.  _

_ “Minhyuk?” Hyungwon asks.  _

_ Minhyuk looks over at him, and his eyes are still brown, so Hyungwon sighs. _

_ “I hate this. I can still hold you and--” _

_ “No. If you're going to stay, then stay there,” Minhyuk says. Then he shuts his eyes and groans again, body curling in on itself.  _

_ Hyungwon wonders if death would have been easier. If he's being cruel by being so selfish. But he can't entertain those thoughts now. They've already made a choice.  _

_ “I love you so much,” Hyungwon says because he doesn't know what else to say.  _

_ Minhyuk manages to smile a tiny bit before he's writhing again, yanking at his bonds.  _

_ “Hyungwon,” Minhyuk says.  _

_ “Yes?” _

_ “I…I love you, t-too.” _

_ Then Minhyuk’s body goes still, and Hyungwon’s heart leaps up into his throat.  _

_ “Min? Minhyuk?” _

_ Minhyuk barely opens his brown eyes and looks at him.  _

_ “I feel so hungry, Hyungwon.” _

_ Every organ in Hyungwon's body goes cold.  _

_ “Hyungwon, I love you. I love you so much.” _

_ “I love you too.” _

_ “Fuck, I’m so hungry.” _

_ Minhyuk blinks a few times, and Hyungwon knows this is it.  _

_ This is the end.  _

_ “Hyungwon…” _

_ “I’m here. I'm right here,” Hyungwon says softly.  _

_ Minhyuk looks at him, and his breath sounds like a death rattle. He blinks slow, and his eyes don't look right anymore. Not red, but wrong.  _

_ Hyungwon sobs, and he can barely hear what Minhyuk is trying to say.  _

_ “Hyungwon…hungry…” _

_ “I know, Min. I know, I'm sorry.” _

_ “Hungry…” _

_ Hyungwon shuts his eyes and covers his mouth. This can't be real. This can't be happening. This has to be a bad dream.  _

_ “H-hungry. Huh…huh…” _

_ The room goes silent, and Hyungwon shakes his head as he opens his eyes and looks up.  _

_ Minhyuk is staring at him, eyes blood-red, and Hyungwon hugs his knees to chest as he shakes with his sobs.  _

_ He's trying to will himself to get up and leave, but it’s hard. He promised he would, but he is sunk so low into the tile, he doubts he’ll ever be able to move again.  _

_ “I’m so sorry,” he whispers. _

_ “Huh...huh…” _

_ Hyungwon freezes for a moment and looks at him.  _

_ Minhyuk just stares at him. He isn't trying to lunge at him or attack him like a normal zombie would. He doesn't even pull at his restraints. He just stares.  _

_ “You’re hungry?” Hyungwon says between sniffles.  _

_ “Huh...huh…” _

_ The answer is good enough for Hyungwon.  _

_ He promised Minhyuk he would leave when he was gone. But he wasn't gone. He was still there, just trapped. Wasn't he? _

_ He said he wouldn't leave him until the end, but the end wasn't now.  _

_ He makes his body move, makes himself get up, and he goes over to the pet aisle. He grabs the biggest muzzle he can find and rips the packaging on it before walking back over to where he left Minhyuk.  _

_ “Forgive me for this when we get you healthy again, okay?” Hyungwon says. He squats down and puts the muzzle on Minhyuk, and Minhyuk lets him. He doesn't even open his mouth.  _

“Wow, he even ate the feathers,” Hyunwoo says. Hyungwon rolls his eyes as he greedily drinks down the soup left at the bottom of his bowl of ramen. 

“How are we going to get him cleaned up?” Kihyun asks. 

Hyungwon licks his lips and pushes his tray to the side before he walks over to them. They're all staring down at Minhyuk.

Minhyuk has blood around his mouth and some on his hospital gown.

“Minhyuk, I need to clean you up,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk’s eyes go to him as he squats down like he had before. He holds Minhyuk's hair before using a napkin to wipe at Minhyuk’s mouth. 

“Aren't you afraid he'll bite you?” Changkyun asks. 

Hyungwon doesn't answer that. He just steps away when he's satisfied he's gotten him cleaned up. 

“We wanted you to meet someone that's gone through the curing process,” Kihyun says. 

Hyungwon looks at him. “Okay.”

“Do you want us to bring him here, or do you want to go down to meet him?” Hyunwoo asks.

“I can't leave Minhyuk alone.”

“I figured you'd say that,” Kihyun says. He steps out of the room, and Hyungwon sits back down on the bed to wait. 

Minhyuk starts snarling at the door before it even opens. 

“What has him so upset?” Kihyun asks as he walks back in. 

“Ah, probably me,” the man with Kihyun says sheepishly. He’s pale and bulky, and he looks like a normal human. He even has brown eyes.

Hyungwon doesn't want to let himself believe that he used to be like Minhyuk. 

“Hi. I'm Hoseok. It's nice to meet you,” he says. 

Hyungwon bows his head a bit. “I'm Hyungwon. This is Minhyuk.”

Hoseok looks over at Minhyuk, and Minhyuk is still snarling at him, but Hoseok doesn't seem to mind. 

“Poor guy. How long has he been like this?” Hoseok asks. 

Hyungwon shifts uncomfortably. “A few weeks.”

“Oh! He should be great then. I was gone for three months before we started the process.”

Hyungwon stares at him. “You...used to be a zombie?”

Hoseok smiles a bit and nods. 

“Yes. You can tell because I still have some red in my eyes.”

He leans close, and Hyungwon looks, and he’s right. There's a line of red around his pupil, but otherwise he's completely normal. 

Hyungwon feels his lip tremble because he wants it to be true. He needs it to be true. 

“And you’re completely cured?” Hyungwon asks. 

“I am,” Hoseok answers happily. 

Hyungwon glances over at Minhyuk and thinks that a little ring of red around the pupils is nothing. 

“And how did it work? How long did it take?” Hyungwon asks. 

Hoseok laughs a bit and goes to sit down in a chair in the corner. 

“They’re better at telling you how it works. I just know how it felt,” Hoseok says. 

“I want to know everything,” Hyungwon admits. 

“We thought you would, but I think you should hear from him first, and not from us. All we have to offer is technical jargon,” Hyunwoo says. 

“Right,” Hyungwon says. He has too many questions whirling around his mind to process any, but luckily Hoseok starts talking.

“When the virus infects you, it's like you're trapped in your own mind. Your thoughts are foggy except for the instinctual ones. How hungry you are being the constant one,” Hoseok says. 

Hyungwon bites his lip and nods, encouraging him. He spends the rest of the day listening to Hoseok and Changkyun explain the process of curing the virus, how long it'll take, and what he could expect if he wanted to go through with it. 

By the end, he knew he couldn't say no. He had to cure Minhyuk. It's what he had promised he'd do.

Hyungwon wakes up. He slept on the floor last night because of that guilt from earlier, but even that felt like a luxury because there were fresh blankets he could use and pillows. 

He still feels the instinctual need to check for danger when there is none.

Well, none except for Minhyuk staring at him. 

“Good morning,” Hyungwon says as he rubs his eyes. 

Minhyuk, of course, doesn't reply, but Hyungwon wasn't expecting it. At least not yet.

He gets up and gets dressed in some of the clothes Hyunwoo let him borrow, and the shirts feel a bit loose on him, but it fits. He walks back over to where Minhyuk is and sits down in front of him to fix his hair like he always has. 

“Did you sleep last night? Hoseok said that you do, but it must be for a short while. But at least we were safe last night, right?” Hyungwon asks. 

Minhyuk stares at him, and Hyungwon smiles a bit. 

“I didn't tell you enough but--”

There's a knock on the door, and then Kihyun walks in. He raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Um, hello?” Kihyun says. 

“Sorry. I just...routine, I guess,” Hyungwon says, pulling away from Minhyuk. 

“Huh, huh,” Minhyuk says, pulling on his restraints. 

“We can feed you soon, I promise,” Hyungwon says. 

“Are you okay walking with him?” Kihyun asks. 

“I am,” Hyungwon says. He carefully unties Minhyuk and helps him up before tying a much looser bond around his wrists again. He holds onto the other end of the rope and hopes for the best. 

“Alright, so follow me. You can be there the whole time, but it's okay if you don't want to be,” Kihyun says. 

“I want to be,” Hyungwon says as he tugs Minhyuk along after them. 

Kihyun sighs, but he doesn't answer. They make their way down to another floor and then walk into what looks like a normal doctor’s office, except that the bed has too many restraints for it to feel normal.

Two nurses grab onto Minhyuk, and Minhyuk starts snarling at them. Hyungwon hurries over to him. 

“Hey, it’s okay. They’re going to help you,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk stills, but he’s still growling a bit as Hyungwon undoes the knot tying his hands together. He takes a deep breath before he takes the muzzle off of him, too. 

It's a struggle as they pull Minhyuk toward the bed and tie him down. It breaks Hyungwon's heart to have to stand in the corner and watch as Minhyuk struggles and snarls and keeps huffing out his little “huh” noise a bit more frantically. Especially when he keeps staring at Hyungwon. 

“It's going to hurt when we give him the antiviral injection,” Kihyun warns him.

Hyungwon looks at him, determined. 

“Just bring him back to me,” Hyungwon says softly. 

Kihyun looks at him and nods before he heads over to the bed. It looks like a simple IV, but he’s a perfectionist, so Kihyun has to do it himself. He takes a while to find a vein, but when he puts it in, Minhyuk snarls louder than Hyungwon has ever heard.

“This is just a normal IV. Fluids and vitamins and stuff,” Kihyun explains as he works. 

Hyungwon plays with the rope in his hands. Twists it and knots it and undoes it as he watches nervously. Kihyun explains as he actually injects the antiviral into the IV tube, and then the snarling stops for a moment. 

They had told Hyungwon it wasn't pretty, but it was fast. It would take a while of administering it every day, but things changed quickly. 

But it isn't pretty. Minhyuk starts writhing, and if it wasn't for the restraints, he'd probably yank the IV right out. 

“Huh...huh!...”

Hyungwon gnaws on his lip as he walks closer. 

“I know, I know. After this is done, we can get you some food, I promise.”

Minhyuk shuts his eyes, and all the muscles in his arms go taut as he pulls against the restraints again, and Hyungwon wants to touch him so badly, just hold his hand and tell him it’ll be okay. 

“Huh...huh...H-hyung...won.”

Hyungwon chokes a bit as all the air leaves his body. 

“Oh my God,” Hyungwon whispers.

His legs are wobbly, and he actually feels them give a bit, but Kihyun is there to hold him up. 

“It's okay, it's alright. Do you think you can stay up while I get a chair?” Kihyun asks. 

Hyungwon nods, and Minhyuk pulls against his restraints again, and he opens his eyes and looks up at Hyungwon. 

“H-hyungwon,” he says again. Kihyun pushes Hyungwon down into a chair, and Hyungwon is crying now. Probably crying as hard as he did when he had to watch Minhyuk get infected. 

“I-I’m here, Minhyuk. I'm here,” Hyungwon says. 

After a while, he stops writhing. His eyes are still red, but when he stares at Hyungwon it doesn't feel blank anymore. 

“Hyungwon,” he keeps saying, and Hyungwon wonders if that's what he was always trying to say. If he's in wonder because he can finally say it. 

“It’ll take a while, but it'll all come back to him soon,” Kihyun says. 

“Thank you,” Hyungwon says. 

“But he's still infected right now. So no fluid exchange. Not even a kiss, alright?” Kihyun says. 

Hyungwon nods because he knows that soon he won't be infected. That soon he’ll be able to kiss him as much as he wants. He reaches out and fixes Minhyuk's hair, and Minhyuk actually smiles a bit, and Hyungwon feels a sob wrack through him again. 

When Kihyun comes back, he comes with food for both of them, and Minhyuk actually eats the cooked food as Hyungwon feeds him. 

It's been two weeks, and Minhyuk is almost entirely himself again. 

The red in his eyes has darkened to a color that's close to his old brown, and when he laughs, it paints bright colors all over Hyungwon's mind. 

“We have four more days of this left, and then your boosters in a few weeks, and that’s it,” Kihyun says as he looks over Minhyuk's chart. 

“And we won't have to stay in the hospital after that?” Minhyuk asks. 

“Nope! We already put in a request for an apartment for you two. I'm expecting you to get a nice one since you had your engineering license before the breakout, and Hyungwon had his teaching license,” Kihyun says.

“Yeah, I guess you guys need engineers and teachers, huh,” Minhyuk says with a grin. 

“Sure do. Do you have any questions for me, though?” Kihyun asks. 

“No, I think I'm good. Do you have any?” Minhyuk asks, looking at Hyungwon. 

“I do. When will he be officially virus free?”

“Oh, that is a good one,” Minhyuk says. 

Kihyun laughs a bit. “After these four days, we’ll do a blood test, and then we can tell you whether he's clear or not.”

“Okay. Good to know,” Minhyuk says. 

“If that's all, you're free to go. I'm sure you guys are hungry,” Kihyun says. 

“Starving,” Minhyuk answers. 

Hyungwon laughs a bit and takes Minhyuk's hand in his. Minhyuk squeezes it.

“Alright, well, I'll see you guys tomorrow,” Kihyun says. 

Minhyuk hops off the bed and tugs Hyungwon after him. Hyungwon smiles as he follows him to the cafeteria where they pile up their plates with two of everything before sitting down at a table with Changkyun and Jooheon, a new patient that's only just started his antivirals. 

Minhyuk spends lunch talking to Jooheon about his experience, and how he’ll be fine, and Hyungwon just smiles and eats and listens to him, soaking in his voice after not hearing it for so long. 

After that, they head up to the top floor to their room where they both collapse onto the bed. Hyungwon lays on Minhyuk’s chest, and Minhyuk holds him, and Hyungwon is still so caught up in his happiness about this. About having Minhyuk back. 

“You know, I never would have hurt you,” Minhyuk says. 

“I didn't think you would, but I had to be wary. You would be telling me I was stupid right now if I hadn't been.”

Minhyuk chuckles a bit. “That's true.”

“I can't wait to kiss you again. When they tell us that you're good to go, I don't think I'll ever stop kissing you again.”

Minhyuk laughs and squeezes Hyungwon closer. 

“But we made it. We’re in the city, and we have a bed, and a room,” Minhyuk says. 

“Hm, dreams do come true.”

“Because of you. You made it happen,” Minhyuk says softly. 

Hyungwon sighs and buries his face in Minhyuk's chest. 

“Come on, you need to read. Get your brain working to full capacity again,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk hums and tries to reach over to their bedside table without moving Hyungwon, but it doesn't work. Hyungwon laughs and gets up, so Minhyuk can pick up the book of fairy tales they found in the hospital’s meager library. 

The virus, luckily, doesn't ruin their brain. It just overtakes it. But it still takes a while for everything to come back. 

Hyunwoo was the one who suggested making him read out loud to help him get back into the swing of using his brain like he used to. 

“What bedtime story do you want tonight, then?” Minhyuk says as he thumbs the book open. 

“Something with a happy ending.”

“Hm,” Minhyuk says as he looks through the table of contents. 

Hyungwon leans his head against his shoulder and waits. 

“How about Sleeping Beauty? Seems fitting,” Minhyuk says.

Hyungwon laughs a bit. 

“Sure. Sounds great, sleeping beauty.”

Minhyuk laughs and turns to the story and starts reading. Hyungwon reads along with him, happy to see how fast he's improved. 

“What if it comes back positive?” Minhyuk asks softly. 

Hyungwon looks at him. At the curves of his face, at the little cowlicks in his hair.

At his brown eyes. 

His beautiful and warm brown eyes. 

Hyungwon could barely even see the tiny ring of red around his pupils. 

“I don't think it will,” Hyungwon says. He reaches up to fix his hair, and Minhyuk smiles a bit.

“Okay, but what if it does?”

“Then we wait a few more weeks and test again. I won't mind,” Hyungwon says. 

Minhyuk smiles. “I forget that you put up with a zombie me for weeks sometimes.”

Hyungwon hums. He doesn't want to tell Minhyuk that there's no way he’ll ever forget those weeks where Minhyuk was trapped inside himself, staring behind red eyes. He won't forget how scared he was of never getting him back but having to have hope that one day he would. He won’t forget being terrified of him. 

But now he has him back, and that's all he could ever want. 

“I just want to kiss you,” Minhyuk says. 

Hyungwon smiles and squeezes his hand. 

“I want to kiss you too. But if we have to wait, we will.”

Minhyuk grins, and it's easy. Sure. Emotions look good on him, and Hyungwon is glad to see the gamut of them run across his face. Even if he got frustrated or upset, at least he was feeling again. 

Changkyun knocks on the door before he walks in, holding a clipboard. Minhyuk holds Hyungwon’s hand in both of his and squeezes it. 

“All the test results came back negative,” Changkyun says with a smile. 

Hyungwon bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from tearing up. This doesn't feel real. It can't be. The world can't have righted itself like this. 

“So…?” Minhyuk asks. 

“You’re no longer contagious. You will need the boosters in a few weeks time, and once a year after that, but otherwise, you're uninfected,” Changkyun says. 

Minhyuk’s hands shake a bit, but Hyungwon squeezes them back. 

“I’ll give you guys five minutes before I'll come back and make you guys leave,” Changkyun says with a tiny wink before he walks back out of the room.

Hyungwon doesn't realize he's holding his breath until the door closes, and he feels Minhyuk tug at his hand. 

Hyungwon turns to him and smiles, and Minhyuk smiles back before he reaches up and takes his face in his hands. 

Waiting had been hard, but it was worth it for this moment. For the moment when time slows down as they lean in closer. Hyungwon closes his eyes, and time stops when their lips touch. 

It’s like rain after a drought. Food after starving. A glass of water in the heat. 

And Hyungwon cries because he’s happy. He kisses Minhyuk over and over again, one for every hour of every day when he couldn't but wanted to. Minhyuk kisses him back just as fervently, just as often, just as happily. 

“Thank you,” Minhyuk says. 

“What for?”

“For breaking your promise.”

Hyungwon laughs a bit and pulls Minhyuk close to kiss him again.

“I didn't leave because you weren't gone. I didn't break any promise.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“So much. So fucking much.”

Hyungwon kissed him again, tasted the salt on his lips from his tears, and felt the smoothness of them, and he can't believe that he still had tears to shed, but he does. 

They keep kissing until Changkyun knocks on the door again, and then they sneak pecks all the way back up to their room, and then they fall into bed and kiss for a long time there. 

Things may not be perfect. The end of the world had happened. They had lost each other and found each other again. They had hurt and suffered. 

But all of that was just a scar on Minhyuk's right arm and a ring of red around his pupils. It couldn't hurt them anymore. 

Not when they finally had each other. 

**Author's Note:**

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